UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rushed to reassure Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky after US President Donald Trump publicly called for his replacement. The American leader accused Zelensky of refusing to reach a peace deal with Moscow and worsening the global fuel crisis through continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Burnham called Zelensky on Saturday, the same day Trump suggested that the Ukrainian leader should be replaced for refusing to reach a settlement with Moscow. The British prime minister described the previous 24 hours as having been “difficult for Ukraine” and “reiterated his complete solidarity,” according to Downing Street.
Burnham and Zelensky also discussed “the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia,” with London vowing to slap Moscow with additional sanctions.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump accused Zelensky of seeking to “make problems for the world” through the continued attacks on the Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” he said.
Trump’s remarks “shocked” Kiev, according to German reporter Paul Ronzheimer. “We never expected this,” a close adviser to Zelensky told the journalist, adding that Kiev feared Washington could suspend intelligence-sharing with it.
On Friday, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached an agreement aimed at reining in skyrocketing global fuel prices. Washington temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel, while Moscow agreed to release 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately and another 500,000 in November. Zelensky blasted Trump’s decision as “weak.”
Kiev’s European backers have repeatedly rushed to Zelensky’s defense following public criticism from Trump.
In February 2025, after Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and slammed him for unwillingness to reach a deal with Moscow, then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and several European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, publicly defended the Ukrainian leader and criticized Trump’s choice of words.
Later that month, a White House meeting between Trump and Zelensky descended into a scandal, with the US president accusing his guest of gambling with millions of lives and risking World War III. European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Macron and Starmer, quickly rallied behind Zelensky, reaffirming their support for Kiev.
Despite the repeated vows of solidarity, the bloc is increasingly struggling to satisfy Kiev’s continued demands for financial assistance. In late September, the EU rejected Kiev’s request for a €220 million ($250 million) farmer subsidy to offset the fallout from the Ukrainian Black Sea maritime trade disruptions linked to Russian strikes on the Ukrainian logistics in response to Zelensky’s 40-day PR pressure campaign of strikes on Russian territory.
In early October, the bloc similarly rejected Ukraine’s plea to accelerate financial support needed to cover an unexpected $27 billion defense gap, prompting Zelensky to lash out at Kiev’s backers by accusing them of not doing enough for Ukraine.
Russia has previously repeatedly named the position of Kiev’s European backers as one of the main obstacles to settling the conflict. The EU is still clinging to the idea of “strategically defeating Russia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last month.
Commenting on the situation last week, Peskov also said that neither Ukraine nor its European backers had moved any closer towards talks, with European nations still “obstructing” the peace process.
